*Mini Book Reviews: Catching Up With Book Reviews Series Part 1*

Hello lovelies! Today is the day that I catch up on my backlist of books that needed to be reviewed. Life has been a bit hectic with unexpected family and my own health concerns and instead of flooding your WordPress Reader with many seperate reviews I am going to compile my reviews in a series just for the ones I need to catch up on. Doing these mini reviews, I want you to know that it doesn’t mean I think any less of these books! Heck, I pretty much LOVED them all!😍 I just wanted to turn my reviews into the publishers and give you a couple places to look than to have to look all over the place! It’s a win, win my loves!

I want to thank NetGalley, the publishers, and the authors for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Even though these reviews are mini I will be promoting them to the fullest if I enjoyed them!😘

So Let’s Get To It!😍

Rating: 4 Stars

U.S. Amazon/U.S. Amazon

Synopsis:

We all have our secrets…

They were six university students from Oxford–friends and sometimes more than friends–spending an idyllic week together in a French farmhouse. It was supposed to be the perfect summer getaway…until they met Severine, the girl next door.

For Kate Channing, Severine was an unwelcome presence, her inscrutable beauty undermining the close-knit group’s loyalties amid the already simmering tensions. And after a huge altercation on the last night of the holiday, Kate knew nothing would ever be the same. There are some things you can’t forgive. And there are some people you can’t forget…like Severine, who was never seen again.

Now, a decade later, the case is reopened when Severine’s body is found in the well behind the farmhouse. Questioned along with her friends, Kate stands to lose everything she’s worked so hard to achieve as suspicion mounts around her. Desperate to resolve her own shifting memories and fearful she will be forever bound to the woman whose presence still haunts her, Kate finds herself buried under layers of deception with no one to set her free…

Review: I really enjoyed this novel and loved the characterisation. The plot went at a smooth pace but wish it was a bit faster. I really liked the mystery and suspense but was able to figure out the mystery halfway through but still was a great book with riveting suspense.

Rating: 5 Stars

U.S. Amazon / U.K. Amazon

Synopsis: The little girl stirred and opened her eyes. A light from the landing played a shadow across her toy cupboard. It was then she realised… There was someone else in the room.

Six-year-old Lola Jade Harper has gone missing from her bedroom on a safe, suburban street.

Her mother says her ex-husband has stolen their daughter. Lola’s father denies it was him.

Family, friends and neighbours all say they didn’t see a thing. But someone must know where the little girl is. Who is lying? And who is telling the truth?

Detective Rachel Prince knows the longer a child is unaccounted for, the less likely they are to be found alive.

The clock is ticking. It’s up to Rachel to find Lola Jade, before it’s too late.
And then another little girl is taken…

Truly addictive from start to finish, The Lying Kind is a nail-bitingly tense crime thriller by one of the best new voices in crime fiction. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Peter James and Karin Slaughter.

Review: I chose to request this book because I never have a bad experience with Bookouture’s choices of thrillers and this was another fantastic crime thriller! This book had me turning pages and was quite gripping! There was complex characters and I felt were relateable. Highly recommended!

Rating: 4 Stars

U.S. Amazon / U.K. Amazon

Synopsis:

I Burned Down His House (Love at First Crime #3)

She burned his house down, so he lit a fire between them that she could never extinguish.

So, I burned his house down.
It was an accident.
I mean, technically, the dog did it.
Well, the dog helped me to do it.
Did I mention it was an accident?
When circumstances mean I suddenly have a new housemate,
A man who is my ultimate fantasy,
And my entire world is turned upside down by new friends,
And a dog who likes to get me into trouble,
I have to wonder how my life got so crazy.
Add in my neighbor, who is under investigation;
Some unfinished business from the past, which just won’t go away;
Interfering family, who don’t know when to stop;
And mixed signals, making me wonder if fantasies really can come true,
And you have my new, hectic, crazy life.
But, when things take a dangerous turn,
And lives are on the line,
Will we all make it through in one piece?
Or is everything destined to crumble down around us?
Who would have thought that burning down a house would change everything so much?
Then again, as some people say: there is nothing quite like love at first … crime.

*Author Note
Warning: This book contains course language and sexual situations.

Recommended for readers 17+

I Burned Down His House is a standalone. Each book in this series can be read out of order. Couples will crossover with other books, so it is recommended they are read in order to get the full enjoyment out of those appearances.

Review: This was a fun romance novel that was mixed with suspense and mystery! I really enjoyed this novel and the only thing is I wish I read the first two first but this can still be read as a kick ass standalone.

Rating: 5 Stars

U.S. Amazon / U.K. Amazon

Synopsis:

Ten years ago, four people were brutally murdered. One girl lived.

No one believes her story.
The police think she’s crazy.
Her therapist thinks she’s suicidal.
Everyone else thinks she’s a dangerous drunk.
They’re all right—but did she see the killer?

As the anniversary of the murders approaches, Faith Winters is released from the psychiatric hospital and yanked back to the last spot on earth she wants to be—her hometown where the slayings took place. Wracked by the lingering echoes of survivor’s guilt, Faith spirals into a black hole of alcoholism and wanton self-destruction. Finding no solace at the bottom of a bottle, Faith decides to track down her sister’s killer—and then discovers that she’s the one being hunted.

How can one woman uncover the truth when everyone’s a suspect—including herself?

From the mind of Wall Street Journal bestselling author Christopher Greyson comes a story with twists and turns that take the reader to the edge of madness. The Girl Who Lived should come with a warning label: once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop. Not since Girl on the Train and Gone Girl has a psychological thriller kept readers so addicted—and guessing right until the last page.

Review: This was an addictive read that I finished in one sitting! I was on the edge of my seat with this story and the plot was gripping! I love cold cases and this was a fantastic crime thriller.

Rating: 5 Stars

U.S. Amazon / U.K. Amazon

Synopsis:

A working girl is found dead in the desert. Can a calendar girl uncover the truth?
In this prequel to GETTING OFF ON FRANK SINATRA, it’s Christmastime in Sin City. Aspiring journalist Copper Black meets Victoria McKimber, an outspoken prostitute at one of Nevada’s legal brothels. She’s offered Copper the exclusive right to tell her story. Not only will the Las Vegas Light’s “calendar girl” get a byline, but she can also impress her boyfriend and parents when they arrive for the holidays.

Copper is busy with work, Christmas shopping, and fantasizing about a whole week with her long-distance boyfriend. She’s also helping her brother, a civic-minded pastor who is spearheading plans for a new center to serve the homeless. Things are hectic but under control when shocking news breaks. Victoria McKimber has turned up dead.

As she investigates the violent death, Copper evades enemies, juggles boyfriend, work, and family, and races against time to save her brother from a sinister plot. Unless she can expose the truth about Victoria McKimber, somebody just might get away with murder.

Review: I loved this fast paced murder mystery that was full of suspense!😍 This book kept me turning pages through the night and I fell in love with the smart and sassy main character! Highly recommend!

Rating: 5 Stars

U.S. Amazon / U.K. Amazon

Synopsis: Is your phone the first thing you reach for when you wake up? And the last thing you see before you sleep? Do you find the hours slip away as you idly scroll through your social media timeline?

In short, are you addicted to your phone?

If so, How to Break Up with Your Phone is here to help.

How to Break Up With Your Phone is a smart, practical and useful plan to help you conquer your mobile phone addiction in just 30 days – and take back your life in the process.

Recent studies have shown that spending extended time on our phones affects our ability to form new memories, think deeply, focus and absorb information, and the hormones triggered every time we hear our phones buzz both add to our stress levels and are the hallmark signs of addiction. In How to Break Up with Your Phone, award-winning science journalist Catherine Price explores the effects that our constant connectivity is having on our brains, bodies, relationships, and society at large and asks, how much time do you really want to spend on your phone?

Over the course of 30 days, Catherine will guide you through an easy-to-follow plan that enables you to identify your goals, priorities and bad habits, tidy your apps, prune your email, and take time away. Lastly, you will create a new, healthier relationship with your phone and establish habits and routines to ensure this new relationship sticks.

You don’t have to give up your phone forever; instead you will be more mindful not only of how you use your phone, but also about how you choose to spend the precious moments of your life.

Review: This book made me realize a lot about my phone usage! I am thankful I read this book because this was important knowledge not only for me but for my children in this electronic age we live in!

Rating: 5 Stars

U.S. Amazon / U.K. Amazon

Synopsis:

Written by the author of the Stonewall Award-winning book, This Day in June, Feminism From A to Z is an alphabetical primer on feminism for teen girls. Each chapter examines a topic that offers call-to-action exercises incorporated into each lesson. Together, the chapters take a look at history and current events through the lens of feminist theory and introduce an inclusive and wide range of feminist thoughts and perspectives. Includes an introduction to readers on how to use the book and an alphabetical list of ways to take feminist action.

Review: This was perfect for anyone who wants to learn about feminism. This is a great educational tool that should help young people see the importance of feminism and to take action.

Rating: 5 Stars

U.S. Amazon / U.K. Amazon

Synopsis:

Becoming a Christian is the best and worst thing that has ever happened to Sarah Hollenbeck. Best because, well, that’s obvious. Worst because, up to this point, she’s made her very comfortable living as a well-known, bestselling author of steamy romance novels that would leave the members of her new church blushing. Now Sarah is trying to reconcile her past with the future she’s chosen. She’s still under contract with her publisher and on the hook with her enormous fan base for the kind of book she’s not sure she can write anymore. She’s beginning to think that the church might frown on her tithing on royalties from a “scandalous” book. And the fact that she’s falling in love with her pastor doesn’t make things any easier.

With a powerful voice, penetrating insight, and plenty of wit, Bethany Turner explodes onto the scene with a debut that isn’t afraid to deal with the thorny realities of living the Christian life

Review: I LOVED this book! It was a hilarious christian fiction novel. I am glad I picked this one up because the characterisation was on point, the plot was well paced and this book was beyond hilarious!